Chapter 59: Stirring the Pot
The purpose of these anti-fans was too obvious. After having Assistant Guan investigate, Yin Chengjue discovered that the Chang Group was behind it.
To be precise, it was Chang Yue’s doing.
Yin Chengjue frowned, recalling how, in his past life, he had been blind—not only cuckolded but also betrayed by a close friend. When the Yin Group was at its lowest, that so-called friend had kicked him while he was down.
Back then, Yin Chengjue had considered Chang Yue a kindred spirit because they came from similar backgrounds. Looking at Chang Yue had felt like looking at himself, so he assumed they shared the same mindset.
But the human heart is unfathomable. He had been too naive back then.
Sitting in his spacious leather sofa, Yin Chengjue propped his chin on one hand as he flipped through the materials Assistant Guan had compiled. His thoughts gradually became clearer.
Things he had never understood in his past life were now crystal clear.
Chang Yue was a master at playing the entertainment industry, with countless tricks up his sleeve and a long list of hooked-up celebrities. Thinking back carefully now, Chang Yue had probably already been involved with Ming Qian—yet Yin Chengjue had foolishly believed Ming Qian was some innocent, shy little flower who would blush and shy away from holding hands.
Yin Chengjue had even thought Ming Qian was deeply in love with the illegitimate child Feng Changheng. Who would’ve guessed that just for a small chance at debuting in a talent show, Ming Qian would cozy up to Chang Yue?
Chang Yue’s move against Rong Yu was undoubtedly influenced by Ming Qian’s pillow talk.
"The Chang Group has been shifting its financial focus toward new technologies in recent years, gradually reducing investments in real estate. It’s predicted they’re trying to follow in the Murong family’s footsteps and venture into high-tech industries. Country C is also prioritizing this sector, offering subsidies to companies involved to accelerate progress and catch up with Country A," Assistant Guan explained.
Yin Chengjue was well aware of the Chang Group’s trajectory over the next decade—after all, in his past life, he had helped them during their transition.
A corporate transformation wasn’t easy. Without sufficient capital and technological input, stock prices could easily fluctuate. The Chang Group had faced this exact predicament in his past life.
Yin Chengjue could say without exaggeration that if he hadn’t stepped in back then, their transition wouldn’t have gone so smoothly—it might’ve even failed.
Yet his generous assistance had been repaid with betrayal—a real-life version of the farmer and the snake.
[A kind-hearted farmer rescues a frozen snake, only to be fatally bitten when the snake revives]
"We’ve already issued Rong Yu’s signing announcement. Since Chang Yue insists on challenging me, don’t blame me for not holding back," Yin Chengjue set down the documents. "I remember the Yin Group still has an order for R-type drivers with the Chang Group, right? What’s the penalty for breach of contract?"
Assistant Guan looked surprised. "President Yin, is it really necessary to go that far? That order is long-term—the penalty would be enormous."
Not just enormous—it was a staggering figure. Canceling it over a newly signed artist simply wasn’t worth it, and the higher-ups would never allow it.
Yin Chengjue gave him an exasperated look. "Do I seem that impulsive to you?"
Assistant Guan: "…" You don’t? Then why bring it up?
Yin Chengjue interlaced his fingers, smiling faintly. "I just want to know how much compensation we’d get if they were the ones to breach the contract first."
Assistant Guan paused. "You mean…?"
A cold smirk curled Yin Chengjue’s lips. "If the R-type drivers they supply have serious quality issues, that’s a breach. Right now, there aren’t many factories producing these drivers—the Murong family leads the field. If we can negotiate with them, what use would we have for the Chang Group?"
"But the Murong family isn’t easy to connect with. Besides, Yin Group’s management wouldn’t just drop the Chang Group so easily, would they?" Assistant Guan couldn’t help asking.
He had been assigned by Yin He to assist Yin Chengjue, and aside from handling matters at Huansheng Entertainment, he was also familiar with Yin Group’s other ventures and could offer his own insights.
Yin Chengjue understood his concerns, but with his rebirth advantage, he knew full well that the Chang Group’s R-type drivers would soon face severe quality issues due to corner-cutting, leading to safety hazards.
In his past life, Yin Chengjue had helped Chang Yue overcome this crisis.
This time, he had no intention of saving this viper.
Let them sink or swim on their own. He’d just sit back and collect the compensation.
And Chang Yue had already handed him the perfect excuse. All Yin Chengjue needed to do was present evidence to the Chang family, showing how Chang Yue had stirred up trouble left and right just to please his bedmate.
Sally, as a top-tier agent, knew how damaging such smear campaigns could be for Rong Yu’s career. After announcing his signing with Huansheng, she promptly issued a warning to the anti-fans still spreading rumors.
The premiere of Don’t Look Back in the Dark gained massive traction amid the clashes between antis and fans, drawing in waves of curious onlookers.
Soon, screenshots of Yin Chengjue and Liu Qingling’s conversation on the filming bus went viral.
That segment explained why Rong Yu had been cast—his low profile meant minimal pay, and as an in-house production, he received nothing during the trial run. Only if sponsors came on board after the trial would he get paid.
As for the young masters, they were just there for fun—no fees involved.
So out of the nine participants, only Liu Qingling and Yang Ji, as the most established, were actually being paid.
RoseIceCreamV: To those claiming Rong Yu has a sugar daddy—how’s that face feeling? Hurting yet?
MilkChocolate: Do you even know what a trial run means? If no sponsors step up after airing, the show gets axed. They weren’t about to splurge on big names for a maybe-show. So tell me, why would any sugar daddy dump their darling into a show that might get canceled? Any of those young masters could’ve bought their way into better gigs.
NanaLuluV: Hard agree. Feels like this guy’s getting hate for no reason—like it’s just for the sake of hating.
SweetDonutV: Check the accounts trashing him—half are burner accounts, the other half are Ming Qian’s fans. Read between the lines!
[Burner account: a temporary or secondary social media profile, often created anonymously to avoid scrutiny, maintain privacy, or engage in controversial discussions without repercussions.]
ShallowMoonlightV (replying to @SweetDonut): Let’s each mind our own business. Taking our Qianqian and leaving, no drama please!
SweetDonutV (replying to @ShallowMoonlight): Now you want "no drama"? Where was this energy when you were dragging other artists? The internet remembers!
Ming Qian’s recent CP pairing with Fei Zhengqi kept both fanbases constantly clashing on trending lists, so their hardcore fans were always online, ready to counter any backlash.
Originally, this had nothing to do with Ming Qian, but some of his fans couldn’t resist joining the hate train against Rong Yu—without even switching accounts—giving the Yuxiang Rousi fans solid ammunition.
Tensions had already simmered between the two fanbases since Hey Brother, Let's Debut!, but the Yuxiang Rousi fans had been more laid-back, avoiding pointless fights.
But laid-back didn’t mean pushovers. With Ming Qian’s fans deliberately stirring the pot under Rong Yu’s hate tags, the Yuxiang Rousi fans weren’t about to take it lying down.
The two fanbases went to war, and the battle escalated rapidly.
Having witnessed this before, Yin Chengjue wasn’t surprised. Yuxiang Rousi fans excelled at subtle sarcasm—you needed brains to even grasp their digs—while Ming Qian’s fans, the "Qiansha," were experts at playing victims. No matter who started it, they could always twist the narrative to paint themselves as helpless martyrs.
Watching these two factions clash was truly…
Yin Chengjue silently pulled out a bag of sunflower seeds.
Assistant Guan, observing from the sidelines: "…"
"President Yin, aren’t you going to help Rong Yu’s fans? He’s our signed artist now," Assistant Guan ventured.
Yin Chengjue waved him off. "Let them fight. Ming Qian’s side is in the wrong here—the bigger this blows up, the better for us. Hey Brother, Let's Debut! probably won’t intervene either, since the drama boosts their ratings."
Assistant Guan nodded. With the show still airing, the more the two trainees’ fanbases clashed, the more attention it drew.
Ming Qian’s PR team was lackluster, letting him trend constantly until the public grew weary. His habit of name-dropping other celebrities also annoyed their fans, so now, most neutral observers naturally sided with Rong Yu.
"But hype alone isn’t enough. He needs solid works to back it up," Yin Chengjue murmured, more to himself. "We’ll need to scout more scripts."
"Assistant Guan," Yin Chengjue suddenly said, "how many original projects has the company signed recently? Bring them all to me."
Assistant Guan: "Right away."
Hmm
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